Public Enemy No1
by SocialDisease609
Summary: Clexa Mafia AU. After her adoptive mother, a head of one of the three main mob families, is attacked by Jaha gunmen, Lexa is placed into temporary control of the family business, and naturally, her first order is revenge. Clarke on the other hand, is the daughter of Jake Griffin, an asset employed by Jaha, who wants nothing more than to not inherit a life of crime.
1. Chapter 1

The hospital room was overwhelmingly warm, as it was full of as many 'family' members as possible. Celeste Heda lay in bed, propped up by as many pillows as possible, breathing quietly as she sleepily took in the blurry faces of her loved ones.

"Who was it?" asked a young woman holding Celeste's hand, as she sat pulled up in a chair as close as possibly to the bed.

Celeste turned her head to see the woman. "Lexa," she whispered groggily. "Why are you so sad, Lexa?" Lexa sighed, knowing patience was best. Poor old Celeste was not only groggy from hanging off of a thread of death, but from the paralyzing effects of the medicine meant to save her.

"I don't like seeing you hurt, ma, you know that," Lexa answered gently, as the rest of the motley crew watched. "Who hurt you? Was it Nia?" Nia was the head of a very small family that was trying to climb the ladder, but could never find purchase like the Heda family.

"Jaha," Celeste mumbled, moving her head against the pillow in discomfort. "Jaha himself, and some goon."

"The accomplice was identified as a Jake Griffin," spoke up a woman named Anya, who was among in the room. "He died in the crossfire. A bullet from Celeste's gun."

"That I did," Celeste groaned, attempting to chuckle at her small triumph. "Never go down without a fight…"

"We'll investigate this Griffin family," Lexa promised, squeezing Celeste's wrinkled hand. "While the main accomplice is dead, we do not know how tied up this family is with Jaha, or Kane for that matter."

"Lexa," Celeste breathed weakly, waving the young woman closer to her. "My will, it is in the safe in my office,"

"Don't talk like this, ma," Lexa interrupted, shaking her head, and everyone else in the room murmured in agreement.

"Hush," Celeste groaned, "My will, it is in the safe in my office. If I should die, you will become the new head of this family, and no one better deny my will. For the time being, I cannot lead in this state. You are placed in charge of this family and our goals until I am fully healed. If I do not, then you will simply permanently take over, do you understand?"

"Yes, mama," Lexa muttered. While she saw this coming, especially with the absence of Costia and Luna, deep down Lexa did not want the privilege of leading.

"Right now," Celeste repeated. "What is your first command?"

"We will investigate the Griffins."

Lexa lounged in the passenger side seat as Gustus drove the sleek black car, Anya and Indra, the Heda family lieutenants, sat in back. Lexa couldn't stop thinking about Celeste and the possibility of losing her adoptive mother. More importantly, she wanted revenge. Her whole life was surrounded by memories of Jaha and Kane simply not leaving her family alone, and she had enough. It was time to end these conflicts once in for all, in the most climactic gang war the world would ever see.

"We need to retaliate somehow," Indra suggested, one of her lieutenants sitting in the back with Anya.

"I know," Lexa mumbled, subconsciously nipping on her thumb as she looked out the window. "I know a show of power is needed right now. The other gangs will start to think that the Heda family isn't a force to be reckoned with anymore since Celeste is on the line. I just need to see everything first… a want a strategic show of power, not a reckless one. What good would it be to retaliate in a way that makes us fish in a barrel?"

Her soldiers nodded in silent agreement as they continued to drive.

"According to the files we received from our few friends in the police force, this is the Griffin house, Lexa," Gustus said, pointing over to Lexa's window as he pulled over. The Griffins lived in a typical semi-suburban house on the outskirts of TonDC. Thirty years ago the neighborhood must have been new, but now the paint had become dull on all the houses, and the wooden fences looked to have numerous splinters. Typical middle class living when not choosing to live in an apartment.

"There," came Anya's voice from the back seat, "That is his daughter, named Clarke Griffin."

Lexa watched as a young blonde woman walked down the sidewalk towards the house, clutching text books to her chest as a heavy side satchel weighed down across her chest.

"She is a medical student, who earned money to go to school… out of the blue," Anya said nonchalantly, implying something more.

"Where did she get the money from?" Lexa asked, looking the girl up and down as Clarke fidgeted in her satchel for her house keys, unaware.

"Our sources say the money came from the Jaha gang. She probably says she was awarded a scholarship." Anya answered.

"Do we know if she knows about her father's involvement with the Jaha's?"

"Not sure," Anya admitted.

"Well figure out. If we need to, we'll use her as leverage somehow to get to Jaha. Her or her mother, at least."

"Yes, Lexa."

With that, they drove away, unknown to Clarke, who finally got the front door open.

"Mom, I'm home from class!" she said down the entry way of the house, kicking off her shoes at the door. When she didn't receive a response, Clarke dropped her satchel and books off by her shoes on the floor, and went searching in the house to see if her mother was home at all. She got the answer to her question when she made it to the kitchen, to find her mother, Abby Griffin sitting at the kitchen table with her face in her hands.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Clarke asked, taking a seat next to her mother at the square table. She reached over to put her hands on her mom's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

Abby groaned deeply before taking a deep breath and revealing her face from her hands. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her cheeks were soaked with tears.

"Mom?"

"Clarke," Abby's voice croaked as she tried to find the words. "There's something you need to know."

Mentally preparing herself for the worst, Clarke leaned back in her chair, waiting for her mother's bombshell.

"Your father… he, he worked for a man named Thelonious Jaha, are you familiar with the name?"

Clarke's face darkened with dread, obviously recognizing the name. Everyone knew Jaha. Granted the man was mostly surrounded by conspiracy theories, but the theories and rumors were hideous. The man was the head of a vicious organized gang that controlled almost half of TonDC. She thought her father had simply worked in a university. "Yes," croaked Clarke.

"Your father… he was killed a few hours ago. Shot, by uh… shot by Celeste Heda."

Clarke's mind was spinning, trying to put the dreadful information together. Her father had been shot to death by _another_ crime lord. Her family was the world to her, and while her heart broke at the death of her father, a cloud loomed over her, opening her to the realization of a new world that was about to drag her in.

"Was dad… was he ordered to kill this woman?" Clarke asked, trying to stay firm, yet her voice waivered.

"Yes," Abby said, combing her lose hair with her shaking hands. "He went with Jaha to take down Celeste. Jake said that Celeste had become too confident and began to walk the city without bodyguards, so Jaha wanted the city to know that this was still somehow his city, so wanted to 'punish' her for her boldness. They shot her outside of Walden Coffee Shop, but before the woman went down, she uh, she had shot your father. Jaha escaped, and left your father's body there to be picked up by the police."

Clarke wanted to mourn for her father, but her soul was aflame with revenge. The least her father's 'boss' could have done was retrieve his body. Or defended him better. Something.

"What about Jaha?" Clarke asked.

"What do you mean?" Abby groaned.

"Do… we… still work for him?"

"I do, now…"

"But why?!" Clarke found herself shouting. "Why does he have such control over you and dad?"

"That's a story for another day, Clarke," Abby said warningly. "Let's… let's just let have your father have this day, at least."

It was now that Clarke let her tears out, anger and loss mixing into one, and found herself reaching for her mother, surrendering to anguish.

Clarke went to sleep late, overcome by grief and the overwhelming need to take care of her mother. She felt herself wake every thirty minutes or so, as the thought of her father's passing made its way into each one of her dreams. She found no solace in reality or her mind. She found herself awake once more at 5:15am, and simply decided to accept the fact that she just wasn't going to get any sleep. As she shifted up against her pillows, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and began to take in the shapes of all the furniture and belongings in her room. And as they adjusted, she couldn't help but notice that there was something off about her room, she could have sworn that she saw things that didn't belong.

Before she could really put her mind around it, a hand wrapped around her mouth stifling the scream that would have escaped. There were men in her room, four of them. Two middle-aged, two young. And if she didn't know any better, she'd say-

"Thelonious Jaha," one of the men said, holding out his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Clarke kept her hands up on the hand covering her mouth instead, trying to free herself instead of engaging in pleasantries. Jaha chuckled quietly and retreated his hand.

"We've simply come by to offer our condolences, Clarke. Your father was a great man, and we are devastated by his loss," the mob boss continued. "My son is going to let you go if you promise to be quiet. Just remember that if you scream we'll just kill you right here, and your mother, so keeping quiet is in your best interest."

The young man covering Clarke's mouth finally let go of her, gently, and stepped away.

"Thank you, Wells," Jaha had said to the man. Clarke watched the youth take a few more steps back to give his father the floor.

"Clarke, as you know your father was killed in action doing a very noble cause for our business. I employed him years ago, in fact, to reward him for his loyal service, I granted you your medical scholarship."

Clarke's heart dropped, having to come to terms that she owed her education to this man. "My father would never support a criminal cause. I know there has to be some reason why he did it. You probably made him feel like he had no other choice."

"That's correct, brave girl," Jaha smiled. "And now you're about to be in the same predicament. You see, while your father passed, Celeste hasn't yet. Perhaps you can honor your father's memory by completing his mission for me? I would ask your mother, but she doesn't work in the hospital Celeste is being treated in. You, on the other hand, happen to have your classes in the exact same hospital that is hosting our target."

"I won't kill someone for you," Clarke said, mustering as much courage as possible, even though her survival instincts told her to submit. Survival versus moral standing, the conflict of all eternity.

"Yes, you will, Clarke. You will go attend class tomorrow like nothing ever happened, scrubs and all. During your lunch break you will make your way to Celete's wing, we'll provide that information to you, and you will use this syringe here," Jaha was handed the instrument by his son, which was already filled with a clear solution, "and insert it into Celete's IV bag. Then just leave, as if you are completing rounds. If there is family present in the room, just play the part of the nurse you are. They shouldn't suspect a thing. The leader will die, and we will finally jump to take control of the Heda industries. If you don't do that I will kill your mother, revoke your scholarship, and you will be left a homeless orphan on the street."

"If I do this, will you finally leave me and my family alone?" Clarke asked, looking at the syringe, only thinking of saving her mother. She had to swallow her pride. Jaha smirked and watched the young blonde, frozen in her bed.

"Sure," he said, "If you kill Celeste, your family is free."


	2. Chapter 2

Octavia Blake was out and about the streets of Polis as early as seven in the morning, strolling with a carefree heart but a determined mind. She was out seeking employment. Now Octavia was not like many girls her age, who craved a desk job or husband chasing, she felt her soul was overly blessed with energy, and craved action. Her older brother, Bellamy, was almost born with the same ambition, yet to her he was plagued with an annoying drive to corruptly lead. He worked for Marcus Kane, a top lieutenant at that. But Octavia did not like the agendas of Kane, and his 'business partner' Thelonious Jaha. Those two had a toxic grip on the city, and like the strong-heart she was, Octavia wanted to invest her energy in the counter-cause.

Walden Coffee shop was often visited by members of the Heda gang, but ever since the head, Celeste, was shot at the front doors, Octavia was curious if the notorious members would still frequent it. It may have been just a coffee shop to the average citizen, but territory is territory.

The sidewalk still had faint patches of red all over it, as the city apparently did a poor job washing up the crime scene. As Octavia pushed open the door, she witnessed how bustling the shop was. Attempted murder must raise sales. Everyone in here was just around to gossip about the attack, as if being in the same vicinity gave them extraordinary doses of excitement to their boring lives. She wrinkled her nose at the overwhelming scent of coffee beans as she walked the shop, hands tucked into her leather jacket. Deep in the far corner of the establishment was a booth overcrowded with individuals who were not participating in the excited bustle. She went over to them on intuition.

"You guys work for Heda?" she asked bluntly, keeping her hands nonchalantly resting in her jacket pockets. One woman raised her eyebrow, and her lip almost went up in a snarl.

"What is it to you?" the woman asked.

"I'm looking for work," Octavia replied simply, standing up straight.

"We don't take open applications," the woman and her group laughed.

"Look, I know things are a 'family affair', but I'm looking to be connected to the people who are looking to destroy these… monopolies that Jaha and Kane have in place. I hear Heda Industries needs some extra security. I would like to be part of the team." Octavia said this with clear conviction, not letting herself be intimidated.

The woman inhaled deeply through her nose as she looked away from Octavia to read the faces of her companions.

"This isn't some mall security job, girl," the woman said, "This is a job where if you can't die for the cause, you will be killed for abandoning it. Once you sign up that's it, there's no turning back."

"I understand," Octavia said, "I have already accepted that term before I ever chose a side."

"Indra," the woman said, holding out her hand. Octavia took it quickly and firmly.

"Octavia- Octavia Blake."

"Blake?" Indra inquired slowly letting go of Octavia's hand. "Any relation to the infamous Bellamy Blake?"

Octavia frowned, hoping this would somehow be avoided. "No…" she said, shaking her head. "I get that a lot though…"

Indra was quiet for a bit, as if waiting for Octavia to slip up, but read in the girls face that this was something she wouldn't step away from. "There is no hourly rate, or official documentation of pay. You will always be paid in cash, and there will be no paperwork regarding your employment. So if you have a problem with not being tracked by taxes, this isn't the job for you. There also won't be any benefits, obviously, like medical or dental. However, if you please the family well enough, they won't mind covering any life-necessary procedures. You can still keep your home, if you wish. However, since this job is pretty much on-call, sometimes it helps to just stay in the Heda estate. Before we can fully accept you, there's obviously something we must go through…"

"Initiation?" Octavia suggested, "I expected as much. What do you need me to do?"

"You will be assigned a mission when I find one fit for you, to prove your loyalty. You will stay by me before and during this mission, so you might as well take a seat. Later we're going to go to the hospital. If you do anything that I find suspicious, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your skull."

"Like I said," Octavia nodded curtly, "I expected as much."

Clarke's stomach was turning all morning. She skipped breakfast, and was regretting it, yet her nerves wouldn't allow her to stomach much aside from some nibbles of saltine crackers. The syringe was in her satchel, and it was all she could think about, tuning out the lecture her instructor was giving to the class. And to make it worse, she saw some suspicious men scattered about the hospital today. Her paranoia told her they were spies sent by Jaha to make sure she did the job. She wondered for a second why they couldn't do it themselves, but the answer was simple: to have control over her and her remaining family.

"What's the matter, hun?" asked Thalia, a fellow medical student who sat beside Clarke every day.

Clarke was brought back to earth briefly by the sweet voice, and turned to face the dark haired girl. "I just, I just didn't get much sleep last night, and then I didn't have an appetite this morning."

Thalia pursed her lips in disbelief. "It's okay, you don't have to keep things from me, babe. It's not like you to just become … out of the blue. What's on your mind?"

Clarke fumbled over creating a response. She had always become a little flustered at Thalia's terms of endearment, and a part of her was happy that the young woman's effects on her were still strong enough to help combat her anxiety.

Taking pity on Clarke's speechlessness, Thalia reached out to grasp one of Clarke's hands. "Babe, if this is because of your father-"

Clarke snatched her hand out of Thalia's grasp, offended. She hadn't told anyone.

Sighing, yet keeping her words to a whisper as to not interrupt the class, Thalia reached back for Clarke's hand. "I don't know why you didn't tell me. Everyone knows, though. I was hoping you would just say it." Thalia shook her head sorrowfully. "I have never dealt with the death of a family member, but Clarke, please… grieve in the ways that truly helps you, but do not feel like you cannot come to me. If you don't want to tell me anything about what you're feeling inside… if that's what helps you, then fine. But you can always just… feel safe beside me. You can stay quiet and mourn with me too. I wanna be there for you, Clarke. It hurts me to see you in pain. It hurts even more to know that you feel you can't come to me. Let me be there for you, Clarke, I lov-"

"Please don't go there," Clarke said, her terrified tone trying hard to keep to a whisper too. "I can't- I can't handle that right now. I don't want you to feel like your feelings are rejected. I care for you too, Thalia, strongly, but I do not need a mix of overwhelming emotions. Please, trust me."

Thalia's lips frowned thinly, but she nodded, accepting the defeat. In an attempt to keep her encouraged for the long-term, Clarke held up their clasped hands and pressed a quick yet firm kiss on the back of Thalia's hand. Thalia smiled weakly, yet squeezed Clarke's hand in reciprocation.

"Ladies- ladies in the back," came the teacher's voice, who had paused the lecture. The class turned around to see what had caught their instructor's attention, and watched both Clarke and Thalia. "No public displays of affection in class, please, you know the rules." Clarke could hear some mutters of disgust as she cautiously let go of Thalia's hand, her heart sinking. Any small comforting dose of euphoria brought on by Thalia had be replaced by the dread she felt earlier, combined with a tinge of social rejection.

At the end of class, Clarke was about to leave for her lunch break, while Thalia had one more class to attend. However, being more rebellious than Clarke, she didn't part ways without giving Clarke an obnoxious kiss in the hallways, to onlookers' disgust yet the girls' humor.

"Can I come over this afternoon?" Thalia asked, her hands still on Clarke's shoulders. "Even if it's just for a couple hours of silent cuddling?"

"Mm…" Clarke mumbled in the affirmative. Envisioning the rest of the evening going normally was helping Clarke… a little bit. But as Thalia began to slip out of Clarke's grip, the blonde's heart began to beat erratically, thumping in her ribcage from fear. She knew that the second she let go of Thalia would be the second her dreadful task would have to be started.

"Oh, it's okay, Clarke," Thalia said comfortingly, noticing Clarke's subtle refusal to let her go. "You're going to have a great day, okay? And you know what? If you need to, just go home. You don't have to go to class. There's nothing wrong with going home and having the day to yourself, okay?"

"Okay," Clarke said quietly, her voice escaping her.

"I lo-" Thalia caught herself and smiled for Clarke, "I'll see you later, okay, sweetie? Everything's going to be okay."

Clarke finally let her go and watched her walk down the hall, catching a glimpse of Thalia turning her head to take in one more look of Clarke with concern all over her face. When Thalia had finally disappeared with the commuting crowd, Clarke took a deep breath and started to head for the room that held Celeste. Jaha had left a note on her vanity with all the information she would need.

On the way, she had deposited her bag in her assigned locker, but not without putting her house keys in her scrubs pocket, putting on a surgical mask, and taking the syringe out of the bag. The closer to the room she got the harder her heart beat, and it terrified her to wonder when her heart would just simply explode. She made no eye-contact with the nurses tending the desks, and noticed that the hallway seemed oddly clear of mafia activity. Clarke had assumed that the head of a mob would be heavily guarded. It almost calmed her.

She pushed open the door to the room, and saw the old woman sleeping away. In a chair pushed up as close as possible to the bed was a young brunette woman, who had fallen asleep as well, leaning far back in her seat. That's it. A mafia head and a young girl. … That's it?

Clarke's fear was replaced with sympathy and pity, the majority of her fear gone. Why Jaha wanted this seemingly small family gone was beyond her. Walking quietly to not disturb their slumbers, Clarke approached the IV bag and pushed the syringe into the needle port, and slowly injected the fluid. She had to keep repeating over and over in her head that this was for her mom. This was for her family. This was for her father.

Clarke realized that she was injecting the serum bizarrely slow, and pressed the syringe a little quicker at the halfway mark when she heard the young woman in the chair stir.

"What are you… what are you doing?" she heard the woman ask. The voice started out groggily, yet quickly became alert. "Why are you wearing that mask just to inject fluids?"

Clarke froze. She couldn't do it. Not that she was caught now. She didn't answer, she just simply dropped the syringe. There was only a split second of silence, and then Clarke turned to begin her escape- they made eye contact. The woman's eyes grew large, as if she had recognized her, and pulled a gun from under her jacket.

Clarke had never run faster in her life. The thunderous cracking reverberated in her ears and the woman took shots after her, and she could hear the screams of the other nurses in the hallway as the sound of gunfire startled them. She could hear the woman shout after her, screaming manically "Get her! Someone get that nurse! Stop her!"

But she was out before she knew it. She had somehow ran five flights of stairs in a blink of an eye. Flight or fight, Clarke's adrenaline and survival instincts had sent her flying out of that hospital, and she was proud of her escape. Now she just had to get home, the guilt and dread would set soon.

"Lexa! We're here!" Indra shouted, concern evident in the lieutenant's voice. Lexa opened the door to the hospital room cautiously, holding her handgun by her side. "We got here as fast as we could." Indra had received the call at the coffee shop seconds after Lexa lost sight of Clarke, and knew that she needed her soldiers at the hospital for immediate extraction.

"We need to move her quick, the police haven't bothered to show up, which means that Jaha is sending his men to pose as cops- it's the only reason why there hasn't been an immediate response to me shooting in a hospital." Lexa said, looking feral with anger and alertness. "Did anyone catch the nurse?"

"No," Indra said regrettably. Gustus made it in the room and began to unhook Celeste from the remainder of her machines. The IV Lexa had obviously ripped from Celeste's arm in a panic. "The hospital is on lockdown, so hopefully she's stuck in here too."

"It was the Griffin girl," Lexa muttered. "She had a mask on, but I… I just know it was her. I saw her eyes."

"We'll get her, then," Indra comforted, "but right now, we need to get Celeste, and you, to safety. Anya is waiting in the car."

"Let's go," Lexa said, holstering her gun. "Who are you?"

Octavia stood next to Indra this whole time, waiting to be made useful.

"Octavia Blake, ma'am," Octavia answered.

"Blake?" Lexa asked with contempt, not needing this right now.

"Not related, ma'am, before you ask."

"Better not be… do you have a gun?"

"I was just given one by Indra."

"Well, have it ready. You'll be killing the cops for me."

Octavia swallowed hard and cocked her piece, "Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, let's go."

Octavia took point, followed by Indra, then Gustus carrying the unconscious Celeste, and Lexa at the end, covering any surprise attacks from behind. They moved briefly down the stairwell, floor by floor, ignoring the cowering nursing staff and visitors.

As they finally made it to the first floor landing, Octavia moved cautiously towards the stairwell door to look out the small rectangular window. Red and blue lights were flashing, yet no police were to be seen.

"Where is Anya?" Lexa asked.

"She's supposed to be out front waiting for us." Gustus grumbled.

"Let's hope she's laying low and hasn't engaged these assholes," Lexa muttered, finally pulling her gun out.

Octavia pushed open the door and everyone followed behind her. Her colt was ready for it, and almost as if summoned by her intuition, a man stood up from behind a counter dressed as a cop. Before he could pull the trigger, Octavia reflexed spectacularly and fired twice, sending the man to the floor. Two more men stood up, and everyone ducked behind any furniture they could find. Bullets hit the wooden desks, sending small splinters everywhere. Indra peeked up and fired her weapon, killing one. Then through the glass doors four more imposters came running in, this time with shotguns.

"Shit," Octavia muttered as she recognized one of them. Bellamy Blake in all his alpha-male glory trotted in, his aura no doubt encouraging the other men. She ducked before he could get sight of her.

"There's the fucker," Lexa grinned, recognizing Bellamy as well. "A Kane man! You would think Jaha would send his own soldiers to clean up his own mess." She revealed herself from cover and sent two bullets into the chest of one of the street-soldiers and a third into his jaw, sending blood and bone fragments across the room.

"I thought you said you wanted me to do all the killing?" Octavia yelled, taking cover as she reloaded her gun, the sound of pistols being fired, wood and cement cracking, and shotgun shells dropping onto the floor taking over.

"They're not real cops. I can kill these fuckers just fine." Lexa exposed herself once more, and exclaimed with pride as she killed one with a headshot.

Suddenly, Octavia stood up. There were three left, one being her brother. She saw Lexa's shots. As much as she wanted to destroy Jaha and Kane's hold on the cities, she didn't want her brother to be killed.

The remaining men exposed themselves as well, all three eager to get the kill. A bullet in the throat for one of them from Octavia's pistol, blood gurgling out of the entry wound, and Bellamy froze- all arrogance dissipating at the surprise sight of his sister. A bullet to the shoulder, and he went down with the force of it. Then a bullet to the collar and cheek bone for the last man.

"All clear," Octavia claimed.

Lexa and Indra stood up in shock, as Gustus slowly brought himself back to his feet with Celeste still unconscious in his arms.

"This girl's a good find, Indra," Lexa spoke in approval, "took down Bellamy Blake."

Octavia quietly accepted the praise.

"We should get going, Lexa," Gustus said.

Lexa nodded and they began to make their way out the doors.

"Make sure they're all finished," Lexa ordered to Octavia.

"Yes, ma'am," Octavia obeyed, and watched her troupe leave, Anya swinging by in their car moments later from an alley. Turning around, she quickly walked up the line of bodies and sent one more bullet into each other them, yet stopped over Bellamy.

He was regaining consciousness.

"Bell," Octavia said quietly, "just stay down," and shot the ground beside him.


	3. Chapter 3

p class="MsoNormal" Lexa spent all night kneeling beside Celeste's bedside in the Heda Manor in the country side of Polis. It was on the outskirts of the city, far from the assassination attempt in the TonDC General Hospital. Clarke had spent her night pacing with worry and anxiety, wondering when Jaha was going to show up in her home to discuss her failure. It was all over the news: "Shoot-out at TonDC General: Mafia heads clash as Celeste Heda is forcefully removed from the premises." There was no word if Celeste was dead or alive, though./p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke had told Abby. She had no other choice because her conscious wouldn't allow keeping secrets from her mother. Like Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. Abby was absolutely mortified that her daughter was now wound up in the business that had taken the life of her husband, but it seemed like the Griffins were just meant to be sucked up in this tornado of organized crime. She promised to Clarke that she would talk to Jaha herself, and that things would be okay. Clarke could only hope, but still feared for her mother's safety. What if she never saw her mother again after Abby went to go speak with Jaha?/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Lexa, on the other hand, had a more than serious conversation with Celeste, who had come to some sort of consciousness and was discussing things with her heir. Celeste had a last request…/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Come on, babe," Thalia urged, her hand squeezing Clarke's on top of the table. The couple had arrived at their favorite diner for lunch, but Clarke's mind was still understandably distant and had not touched her meal. The sun shined brightly through the glass door and large windows of the establishment, and the low sound of vintage music filled the atmosphere./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Clarke said, "I know you're trying to cheer me up, I appreciate it, I really do."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "I know I've already said it, but I am so happy that you decided to leave the hospital when you did. That you just took my advice and went home. It was terrifying being in that hospital when the shooting went down. I swear I heard the gun go off down in my wing! I'm so glad you were away from all of that."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Yeah…" Clarke tried to not have the memories of Lexa Heda aiming a gun down at her in the hallways resurface in her mind. Somewhere behind her she heard the bell of the entrance door chime, but kept her eyes on her lover./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "I think you need to get away," Thalia suggested. "We're not scheduled for any exams for another week- and our grades are high enough to be able to sacrifice a few assignments. What do you say we take a couple days to ourselves, huh? You can stay in my place, how does that sound?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Sounds great," answered a voice. Then, a tall and stout-looking man with long braided hair and a beard sat down next to Thalia and an elegant woman with tan skin sat down next to Clarke. The two women looked around them in confusion and unsettlement, and then Clarke noticed someone standing by them./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Is this your girl?" It was none other than Lexa Heda, brandishing a charming smile. Clarke's heart pounded with overloaded survival instincts. She wanted to bolt away from the table, just like she did at the hospital, but she couldn't leave Thalia. Her character wouldn't allow it./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Excuse me," Thalia began, summoning bravery. "Who are you?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Lexa smiled sarcastically, "Get out."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "What?" Thalia asked, baffled./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Your girlfriend is gonna be my girl for the moment, so… get. Out. Out of the chair. Out of the diner. I need to talk to Ms. Griffin here."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Thalia," Clarke muttered, not wanting things to escalate further. "Listen to her, please, go home. I'll explain later. Please, don't worry about me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Thalia hesitated, looking between Clarke and Lexa. "You come straight to my place when you're done, okay?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke nodded, doing her best to look brave in front of her girl. Thalia got up and left the diner, and Lexa placed herself in her chair./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "What do you want? How did you find me?" Clarke asked, her voice shaky. "Are you here to kill me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Lexa leaned across the table and folded her hands with another smile. "Trust me, gorgeous, I want to. I had it all planned out, too. Besides, you never know who works for who. My family has intel all over this city, your boss Jaha too. But you know what? You're lucky. My mother wants to see you."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke's heart went through some more heart palpitations. Why would the woman she tried to kill want to see her? "So she can be the one to kill me? And Jaha- he's not my boss."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Listen, Clarke Griffin, we've got a master plan in the works, and you're a key player, like it or not. You either come with me, or we kill you right now, in front of everyone here, with a bullet in your head. Maybe even parade your body somewhere. Let people know not to work for Jaha."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke was quiet. She just looked into Lexa's green eyes, feeling intimidated by the criminal's words, but pulled in by her gaze. The Heda family's right hand member oddly seemed trustworthy. As ridiculous as it sounds. Like the words did not match her aura./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "To the car?" Lexa suggested. "Or the bullet?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "The car."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Good choice."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke was blindfolded once she sat down in the car. Lexa stuck to the passenger side while the man with the beard drove. The tan woman sat beside Clarke, a revolver ready in her hand should Clarke do something rash. Clarke knew that they were taking her somewhere out of the city. Based on the speed she felt them going, and Lexa complaining here and there about the traffic and how the driver, named Gustus, should pass this person and that- they had to be on the interstate. Clarke stayed focused on her breathing, doing everything she could to stay calm. Lexa's words had replayed in her mind: em"you're a key player, whether you like it or not."/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em /emWhy would Celeste Heda want to recruit Clarke? Especially after she had tried to kill her./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "We're here," Clarke heard Lexa's voice speak up. They came to a smooth stop, the engine turned off, and car doors pushed open and slammed shut. Then she heard her door open and she was pulled out, and her blindfold came off./p  
p class="MsoNormal" In front of her Clarke saw a grand manor. It must have originally been from a colonial era and renovated countlessly to survive the generations. Yet it still held an antique charm, its obscure burgundy bricks and limestone Doric columns- it's large cherry-wood doors and brass doorknockers, dark and dense leaves of garden bushes on the perimeter … it was enchanting, and Clarke would have never anticipated a criminal hideout to be in such a beautiful place. But Clarke was about to find out that the Heda family was more than just a group of criminals./p  
p class="MsoNormal" The inside of the manor was just as charming, full of prestigious real wood furniture, grand bookshelves full of countless colorful books, Victorian styled sofas and ottomans, rich curtains and carpets. There was even a music room that they passed through, and Clarke couldn't help but appreciate the collection of instruments displayed. They kept walking through the manor, going up a couple flights until they made it to what Clarke could only assume was the master bedroom. As Lexa pushed open the door, there was Celeste Heda propped up on numerous pillows looking absolutely ghastly. The woman was dying, Clarke knew it, and she was washed over by a tsunami of guilt and shame. It was all her fault./p  
p class="MsoNormal" A doctor was present, tending to the crime boss's comfort. He didn't seem like a typical doctor to Clarke, though. Even if he was making a house call, something about his clothing and sense of grooming made her believe he was simply a freelance connection that the Heda family had called in. When Celeste saw Clarke standing next to Lexa, Gustus, and the tan woman named Anya, she weakly ushered them closer./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Pull up a chair for Clarke, would you, Lexa? I want her to sit by my bedside."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Lexa obeyed the command without objection, and silently brought a chair to Celeste's bedside, which Clarke took to without having being told./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Anya, Gustus, please leave me and Lexa. Nyko, you too," Celeste said gently, indicating to her caretaker. The freelance doctor nodded in understanding, and everyone left the room, leaving the three women alone./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Clarke," Celeste began once the door to the bedroom was closed. "I want you to be completely honest with me, okay? I called you here for an opportunity that is bound to be questioned for years."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke was silent, fearing that speaking in return would somehow get her in some kind of trouble./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Clarke, you were sent to kill me by Thelonious Jaha, yes or no? Yes or no answers only."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke looked up to Lexa, who looked down at her silently as she stood by her chair. "Yes."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "And you did it only because you were going to be blackmailed somehow by Jaha if you didn't, correct?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Yes."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "See, Lexa, I told you," Celeste said, a feeble smile curving at her aged lips. Lexa nodded in blunt exasperation. "Tell me, Clarke," the head of the family continued, "If Jaha had not approached you, would you still have gone after me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "No," Clarke spoke truthfully. "The only revenge I sought was towards Jaha. I knew that it was his fault ultimately, not yours, especially since Jaha and my father were the attacking party."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Celeste brought her hands up in a joyous clap. "I should have put some money on that, shouldn't I have, Lexa? I told you."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Yes you did, ma. Yes you did," Lexa shook her head in defeat, but Clarke could read a hint of happiness on the woman's face to see Celeste display some burst of positive energy./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "I told Lexa you weren't the enemy," Celeste directed towards Clarke. "You see, Clarke, I am old, as you can tell. And as you age, you'll reach mental periods in your life where you can see through pretty much everything, and know what deserves your energy, and what deserves to be left in the past. I have decided to not kill you after your attempt on my life, much to Lexa's, and everyone in my family's, chagrin."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Thank you," Clarke blurted out, "thank you so much."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Celeste smiled with her thin lips, her eyes squinting. "You are very welcome, dear. However, you're not off the hook. You're never off the hook once you get involved in this kind of life. Luckily for you, you're still at the point where you get to choose how to spend it. Jaha wants you for his force, or, did. We'll see how his conference goes with your mother and Kane-"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "You know that my mother is talking to Jaha today?" Clarke interrupted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "We have moles everywhere, Clarke, now let me finish, I will not accept another interruption again, okay?" Celeste said quiet sternly, yet came off like a mother threatening her child. Clarke nodded eagerly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Jaha might still want you. But we want you too. Which family do you choose?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "It can't be that simple…" Clarke said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Of course not," Celeste agreed, "This isn't typical employment. There are no benefits or HR office, and the like. You either kill for me or kill for Jaha. I have a feeling just by being in your presence that you are a very logical woman. You look at life like a chess board. You see multiple options for every scenario. Consequences too."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Clarke, work for the people who got your father killed, or work for the people who want them killed. Plain and simple," Lexa chimed in./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "What did I just say about interrupting?" Celeste said, just as sternly to Lexa. "Anyway, my daughter is right. We want to end Jaha, and Kane. Not just to gain monopolies and economic power, but so that we can stop the drugs, stop the prostitution, stop the violence. We want people to be safe. Jaha's hold on the city is disgusting. Like a disease. No one gets a healthy life with him in charge. The Heda family's lifetime goal is to put an end to underground life, believe it or not. We want economic and political power, sure, but not so that we can get away with pushing drugs or selling prostitutes to senators. If you want this city to be free, join us. Help us take down Jaha."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke pondered over the words, still feeling like it was too good to be true. "Why me?" she asked./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Because you're a Griffin," Celeste said simply. "You're going to work for us, but pretend to still work for Jaha. A direct line into that crime family is better than having moles on the outskirts. So what do you say?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Does she even have a choice?" Lexa said, implying violent possibilities./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Lexa, would you leave us please?" Celeste asked. Lexa's jaw dropped slightly. "Please, I wish to speak to our prospective family member without her feeling too intimidated."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Lexa shrugged and turned to leave the room, not looking back, and closed the door behind her./p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke's heartbeat had been increasing since the proposition./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Let me tell you something personal, Clarke, if that's okay?" Celeste asked, shifting up on her pillows./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Of course," Clarke's voice cracked./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "My family is notorious, I'm sure you know. We've made the papers a lot with numerous headlines. So much, I'm sure you would know that Lexa is not my daughter."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Yes, I suspected as much… but it doesn't matter to me. A crime family is a crime family, blood or not."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Yes, but in terms of our hierarchy, it was run off of blood. I have my soldiers, many of them, and lieutenants like Gustus and Anya, and Indra. But I originally planned to have my daughters take over. Do you know their names?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "C-Costia and Luna, right?" Clarke stuttered, playing with her hands to relieve her anxiety./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "That's right," Celeste smiled. "They're twins. Costia was born ten minutes before Luna, making her the oldest. When my husband passed away in a shootout- done by none other than Jaha, I'm sure you know, the expectations of becoming the next Heda family leader went to Costia. To combat the loss of my husband, I filled the hole in my heart with something else to love. Everyone grieves in their own way, but many people, especially my daughters, were upset by my outlet. I adopted another daughter. Lexa. She was a doorstep baby, dropped off at the fire department and spent her entire elementary life in foster homes. Yet I adopted her when she was eleven. She has been in this family for twelve years now. My daughters felt like they had been replaced by Lexa. Maybe I adopted the poor girl because she was everything but my family, if that made sense. She was not part of the life of crime, she was not the child of the man I loved. She was completely new and separated from my woes. However, as they grew up together, they became closer to each other and Lexa was soon a full-fledged accepted member of the family. I remember the day she approached me asking if all the rumors were true about our family. I had kept so much from her. She had obviously put it together herself, though, she's very smart. Very methodical. Yet she has problems with her temper. Anyway, one day, two years ago in fact, I caught Lexa and Costia in a very compromising position. They thought they could keep it a secret, but you can't keep secrets in my house, Clarke."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke watched the old woman wrinkle her face as she prepared herself to confess more of the Heda family's secrets./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Apparently Costia and Lexa had become emtoo close/em. I was upset, of course. Livid. Technically there was no taboo committed, if you think about it. The girls are not related by blood, but since they were raised as family, it seemed incestuous, I'm sure you can see how."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke just simply nodded along, not getting personally involved, letting Celeste vent./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "I have no problem with same-sex love, but… these were women I saw as my daughters. Is it wrong of me to say that makes it different? I confronted them in a family meeting, Costia was a crying mess, Lexa was rigid, and Luna was amused. She said she saw it coming. I chose not to shun my children, yet commanded Lexa and Costia to never… engage that way ever again. Costia ran away the day after. We haven't seen her since. Not even Lexa knows where she ran off to. Luna on the other hand, had inherited the status as my immediate heir because of it. I seem to be cursed in having my children run from their responsibilities because one day Luna just disappeared. She left a note saying she didn't want the responsibilities of killing people to achieve a higher goal. All I have left is Lexa, the child that's not even mine! One could say that the Heda family line is over, we have no power since our blood line is somewhere in hiding around the world. Do you know how that looks to our enemies?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Why are you telling me this?" Clarke finally asked./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "My family is falling apart. I have no one left. I love those who work for me, all of them, but I am going to die without my family beside me. Your mother… do you not think she's going to do everything she can to protect you? You're all she has… your family and my family, we're the same, all because of the same man: Jaha. I am tired of fighting everyone who crosses by. Resources and time are being wasted, which is why Jaha is always in power: he has successfully got us all fighting each other instead of going straight to him. Help me destroy him. You're in the belly of the beast- slay it from the inside. Please. If we end this, my family might just come back together, and yours will stop falling apart. Please. Can't we just end this? It's the last thing Jaha will expect."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" Clarke pondered everything quickly in her mind, just like Celeste had assumed- a chess board and every possible move and outcome. Lexa was right: joining Jaha will stunt justice and dishonor her father's memory, helping Celeste would bring justice and hopefully and end to this all. And once you got into this life, there really was no way out, so she might have a say in which side she wanted to be on./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Will you watch out for my mother?" Clarke offered./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Of course." Celeste nodded, hope coming back to her complexion./p  
p class="MsoNormal" "I will help you then. I'll help you kill Jaha." /p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p 


End file.
